Spamalot

As a fan of Monty Python and having seen this musical before, I was expecting an entertaining evening and I was not disappointed.  The Director not only brought out the complete absurdity of the Monty Python humour but added to it. There were so many extra gags, but highlights were the selfies, Health and Safety lady and someone in the cast shouting ‘Alexa, stop’ when the band continued to play.  Steve describes the show as ‘panto style’ in his welcome in the programme and with the amount of jokes and general silliness he managed to cram into the show, the end result was hugely entertaining.

The set was simple but worked well, with a brightly coloured castle, trees and other scenery brought in very efficiently as and when required. There were also a huge number of props, so well done to the backstage team.

There was a very engaging and entertaining King Arthur, who had great facial expressions and excellent comic timing. He was a wonderful contrast to Patsy, who put me in mind of Al Murray aka the pub landlord. They worked well together and always kept up a good pace in their dialogue.

Sir Lancelot, really looked the part and clearly enjoyed finding his feminine side for his big number. Likewise Sir Galahad was great fun, especially in the terrific duet ‘The song that goes like this’. He also doubled up as a very camp Prince Herbert with a great rendition of ‘Where are you?’ and provided some the show’s most hilarious moments.

The Lady of the Lake had a beautiful voice and handled the comedy well. Other supporting roles did a good job in adding to the humour of this show.

There are some big company numbers and the chorus coped well with the various styles that were required.  That said they looked rather serious when the curtains opened up on Act 1 but fortunately by the end of the number they remembered to smile and performed and sang well for the rest of the show. The choreography worked extremely well and was just right for each number. With a show that has so many different musical styles the choreographer did a commendable job in making each dance different from the next.

The costumes and makeup were very good and, given the huge amount of costume changes, must have taken a great deal of planning and organisation.  I especially liked the beautiful costumes and wigs for the Lady of the Lake.  Well done to the wardrobe team. Likewise, sound and lighting were good.

There were one or two occasions when the band drowned out the performers on stage and we lost some words. However, overall, the band produced a wonderful sound and helped to keep up the pace of the show.

The cast clearly had a great time performing this show and the audience were equally as enthusiastic. There were so many laugh-out-loud moments and the audience obviously thoroughly enjoyed this very entertaining show.  

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